Gas mask carrier pocket attachment for firemen&#39;s coats



GAS MASK CARRIER POCKET ATTACHMENT FOR FI'REMENS COATS "Oct. 15, 1946.

GRUNWELL 2 Sheds-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 10, 1945 INVENTOR. .Gr

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Oct. 15, 1946.

GRUNWELL G AS IIASK CARRIER POCKET ATTACHMENT FOR FIREMENS COATS Filed F eb. 10, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 15, 1946 GAS MASK CARRIER POCKET ATTACHDIENT FOR FIREMENS COATS Alfred M. Grunwell, WashingtomDe-C. Application February 10, 194'5,'Serial'No. 5775319 byfiremeniare normally stored. inasuitable contamer-provided therefor onthe fireapparatus.

t has been found from experience upon reaching the scene ,of a fire, .that'in order to gain access to the gas or smoke filled area with safetyand. protection drom the moke'and noxious gases, the fireman must. return to thefire apparatus which is usually located a considerable distance from 7 Claims. (01. 128-444) the scene of the fireand obtain one of the gas maskiunits andupon donningthe gas mask and its supporting harness, he then returns to the point where thegastmas'k is needed so that he can enter the smoke or gas filled area without inhaling any 'iOf the injurious gases. 'Bhis loss of time vay frequently results in theloss of life in-ienabling entrapped 'victims'to be rescued.

It'isgtherefore, the primary object ,oimyinven- .tion to' provide means on the turn-out coat usually worn by afireman' for housing the gas mask and .its associated air purifying canister so that the gas mask will at :all times he quickly and readily accessible to thewearer, thereby saving :considerable'time in enabling a fireman to applythe gas mask and enter the smoke or 'gas filledarea whenever the occasion necessitates the use-ofa gas mask r Another object e-f importance of-the present invention resides in the provision of a gas; mask carrier pocket attachment for firemens-" turnout-coats that will obviate the necessity of having t'olemploy the usual supporting harness for the gas :mask when the latter is inuse, means being provided in the carrier pocket "attachment for supporting the air purifying canister in a-fixecl, yet detachablemanner.

.Still'a further "object resides in arranging the gas mask carrier pocket on the firemans turn vout-coat in 'sucha manner'a's not 'tocau'se any interference with the use of the usual firefighting equipment, such as the water hose, axe; pick, and "at the same time'protectthe air purifying canister from comingrinnontact with any fouling medium,

such'aswater;

.AlsO, the invention aims to so arrange the gas mask carrier pocket on the garment as not to cause any discomfort to the wearer while seated ontheifire apparatus in goingto'the scene of the .fire. 1 i i 2 Another and important object is to provide :s gas mask carrieripocket attachment that can "be either sewed onto the :firernans turn-out-coat or :formed asia separate unittthat can-bereadily an'dieasily attached to or removed from thecoat Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description when taken inconnect-i'on with the accompanying draw ings. 1

In the drawings forming-a part'of thespecificw tionand in whic'hlike reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views: i J Figure 1 is a front elevation of a firemans turn-out-coat showing the gas mask carrier pocket attached thereon; Figure 2 is a rear elevation; I Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of th carrier pocket showing the manner in which the air purifying canister is supported in the pocket; i

Figure i'is a sectional view taken approximately on the line 1- 4 of FigureB looking in the directioncf the arrows andshowing the 'canister supporting means in top plan; 1 i "Figure 5 is' a verticahsectional view taken approximately on the line "5- 5 *df Figure 3, look ing in the directionofthe arrows? 7 Figure 6 is an elevational view of {the pocket looking from the open rear side thereof;

Figure '7 is a detail perspective view of a modification of the carrier pocket wherein the same comprises aseparate unit adapted for detachable connection with the coat; I? 1 Figure -8 is a vertical sectional view "showing is attached 'tothe coat; and H Figure 9 is a "detail perspective View of one type of canister supporting member.

In the drawings,"the numeral 1 designates a conventional firemans turn-outcoat; sewed to the back andextending around onesideand toward the front of the coat is my improved carrier pocket denoted generally by the inu meral 2. i f'Ihis-pocket is'formed 'from pieces-of material the manner in which the separate carrier'pocket a simi1ar"tethat of which the mat ismade and 5 comprises a-front Wa1l3, topand"bottom walls 4 was and a rear end wall 6." These walls are stitched together and the inner marginal'edge portions 6 andfl of the top and bottomwalls, as

Well as the inner marginal edge portion 9 of the end-wan 6 are stitched to the turn-out coat l, as' is clearly indicated at ion the drawings.

5'-I-he pocket2' -extendssubstantially horizontally across the back of the coat directly above the waistline and the forward end portion of this pocket extends around the side of the coat and terminates at the front of the coat, as clearly illustrated in Figure 1.

A closure flap II is provided for the open forward end of the pocket and complementary fastening means l2 and I3 are associated with this flap H and the adjacent portion of the front wall 3. The fastening means may be in the nature of a snap fastener or zipper. flap is stitched along its rear vertical edge to the coat I at the juncture of the top and bottom walls 4 and 5 of the pocket.

As will be more readily observed from an intion. This canister contains the necessary chemicals and filter to extract poisonous and irritating dusts and gases from the air. The canister is provided with an air inlet opening in its bottom and this air inlet opening is normally sealed against the admission of air by means of a piece of adhesive tape l1, one end of which extends outwardly of the opening l4 in the pocket to provide a pull tab Hi to facilitate its quick and easy removal from over the air inlet opening in the bottom of the canister when the gas mask is to be used.

Forming an important part of the present invention is the means arranged in the pocket to support the air purifying canister in proper position in the enlarged portion of the pocket.

To this end, I provide the bands 19 and 20 that are stitched along their inner ends to the back of the coat as at 2!. These bands overlap at their outer free ends and suitable fasteners 22 are associated with the overlapping ends of the bands to secure them together in position around the canister l6.

Supporting straps 23 and 24 are associated with the bands l9 and 20 respectively for engagement with and to support the bottom of the canister IS, in the manner as is clearly shown in the drawings. i

The canister Hi,- will thusbe supported in a vertical position in the enlarged rear end portion of the pocket with its air inlet enddisposed directly over the opening 14 in the bottom wall 5 of the pocket and with the adhesive tape projecting outwardly of this opening l4.

' The flexible hose l 5 will be collapsed and maintained in the pocket and also thegas mask connected to the forward end of this hose will be concealed in the forward end portion of the pocket.

In Figure 7 of the drawings, I have illustrated a modification of the carrierpocket,=wherein the same comprises a separate unit that can be readily and easily attached and removed from a firemans turn-out-coa r In this form the pocket 25 includes a front wall 26, a rear wall 21, top and bottom walls 28 and 29 and rear end wall,30, stitched together. The rear end portion of this pocket is enlarged similar to enlarged rear portion of the first men- This tioned form of pocket construction. Likewise, the forward end of this modified pocket is open and a closure flap 3i forming an extension of the rear wall 2'! is provided for the open forward end of this pocket 25. Complementary fastening means 32 and 33 are associated with the flap 3| and the front wall 26 to retain the flap in a closed position.

Tabs 34 extend laterally from the edges of the rear wall 21 at spaced intervals and carried by these tabs are suitable snap fastener elements 35 that cooperate with complementary fastener elements 36 attached to adjacent portions of the coat I.

In lieu of snap fasteners any other well known type of detachable fastening means may be employed for detachably securing the carrier pocket onto the coat.

The air purifying canister may be removably supported in the enlarged rear end of this pocket 25 in the same manner as the canister is removably supported in the pocket 2.

In Figure 9 a modification of the canister support is disclosed wherein a single band 31 has its intermediate portion stitched or otherwise secured in the rear portion of the pocket. The free ends of this band overlap and have fasteners 38 associated therewith to secure the band around the canister. Supporting straps 39 are associated with the lower edge of the band to engage with and support the bottom of the canister.

In some instances, instead of arranging the pocket across the back of the coat, it may be desirable to mount the pocket at the side of the coat and beneath one of the sleeves.

With a device of this character, the fireman will at all times have his gas mask carried by the turn-out-coat and thus the gas mask can be readily and easily put into use, wherever the occasion arises, thus saving considerable time and furthermore obviating the necessity of having to employ a special harness to support the air purifying canister, Also, with my improved device, the carrier pocket will in no way interfere with e the use of the fire fighting equipment by the user.

A carrier pocket of the above mentioned character can be readily and easily attached to a fire mans turn-out-coat and will, furthermore, be inexpensive, strong and durable.

While I have shown the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Havin thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In combination with a coat; a carrier pocket for a respiratory apparatus forming a part of the coat, the respiratory apparatus including an air purifying canister and a flexible hose for delivering purified air to a gas mask from the canister, said pocket serving as a support for the canister when the respiratory apparatus is in use, and adapted to entirely contain the aforesaid parts of the respiratory apparatus when the latter is not in use.-

2. In combination with a coat; a carrier pocket for a respiratory apparatus forming a part of the coat, the respiratory apparatus including an air purifying canister and a fiexible'hose for delivering purified air to a gas mask from the canister, means for detachably securing and supporting the canister in the pocket, said pocket entirely receiving and concealing all of the parts of the respiratory apparatus when the latter is not in use.

3. The combination with a garment and a respiratory apparatus including an air purifying canister and a flexible hose for conducting purified air from the canister to a gas mask; of a carrier pocket forming a part of the garment and arranged across the back of the garment, said pocket adapted to entirely receive all of the parts of the respiratory apparatus when the latter is not in use, and further serving as a support for the canister when the respiratory apparatus is in use.

4. The combination with a garment and a respiratory apparatus including an air purifying canister, and a flexible hose for conducting puri fied air from the canister to a gas mask; of a carrier pocket forming a part of the garment and arranged across the back of the garment and extending around the side thereof, and to the front of the garment, the front end of the pocket being open, and a closure flap for the open end of the pocket, said pocket adapted to entirely receive all of the parts of the respiratory apparatus whenthe latter is not in use, and further serving as a support for the canister when the respiratory apparatus is in use.

5. The combination with a garment and a respiratory apparatus including an air purifying canister, and a flexible hose for conducting puri- 9 fied air from the canister to a gas mask; of a carrier pocket forming a part of the garment and arranged across the back of the garment, said pocket adapted to entirely receive all of the parts of the respiratory apparatus when the latter is not in use, and further serving as a support for the canister when the respiratory apparatus is in use, means for securing and supporting the canister in one end portion of the pocket, said end portion of the pocket being provided with an opening to admit air to th canister, said canister having an air inlet in registration with the air opening in the pocket, and a removable seal normally covering the air inlet in the canister and having a free end extending through the opening in the pocket and accessible from the exterior of said pocket.

6. In combination with a firemans turn-outcoat; a carrier pocket for a respiratory apparatus forming a part of the coat, the respiratory apparatus including an air purifying canister, and a flexibl hose for delivering purified air to a gas mask from the canister, said pocket adapted to entirely receive all of the parts of the respiratory apparatus when the latter is not in use, and means for securing and supporting the canister within the pocket, said means comprising a band secured within the pocket and embracing the canister, loo members depending from the band and engaglig the bottom of the canister, said pocket having an opening provided in one wall thereof to admit air to the canister.

7. In combination with a firemans turn-outcoat; a carrier pocket for a respiratory apparatus forming a part of the coat, the respiratory appa ratus including an air purifying canister, and a flexible hose for delivering purified air to a gas mask from the canister, said pocket adapted to entirely receive all of the parts of the respiratory apparatus when the latter is not in use, and means for securing and supporting'the canister within the pocket, said means comprising a band secured within the pocket and embracing the canister, loop members depending from the band and engaging the bottom of the canister, said pocket having an opening provided in the bottom thereof to admit air to the canister, the bottom of the canister having an air inlet in registration with the air opening, a removable seal normally covering the air inlet in the canister, and a pull tab carried by the seal and extending through the air opening in the bottom of the pocket for access from the exterior of said pocket.

ALFRED M. GRUNWELL. 

